Salary Arrears: PTI Pensioners Petition Yar’ Adua

2008-10-26
From EMMANUEL OGOIGBE, Warri

The Petroleum Industry Pensioners Association of Nigeria (PIPAN) has petitioned president Umaru Yar’Adua demanding for payment of the 23-month pension arrears of retirees of the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Effurun, Delta State, even as no fewer than 20 retirees has died while waiting payment. Rising from crucial meetings in Warri, the Association said it observed with pain and agony that for 23-months, the Federal Government and National Insurance Company of Nigeria (NICON) has paid deaf to the plight of the pensioners who now living in squalor and abject poverty.
Chief .J. Asore and Isaac Akpebelebe, chairman and secretary of the PTI branch lamented that gratuity and death benefits were last paid in 2004.
“The Institute has pension scheme with NICON, now privatized with its money. By that privatization, the pensioners are no longer paid as at when due even though there is fund in the scheme to do so”. Stressed the association, adding that the monthly remittance by the Federal government to NICON for the payment though not enough is swallowed by the privatization introduced by NICON.
They also observed that for proper funding of the scheme, the National Pension Commission (PENCOM) was asked to undertake their verification which has not been done up till date and thus worsening the situation of the pensioners.
“What baffles us is that despite the pressure on both the federal government, NICON AND PENCOM, the milk of human kindness has refused to flow as they have refused to honour efforts to clear the indebtedness to clients within 60 days.
“we are therefore at a loss that even the association that is the umbrella body of oil industry pensioners is being treated shabbily, hence we are calling on the government and NICON to pay PTI retirees”. The association further demanded.